Beatification process for Knights of Columbus founder in PH starts
Cardinal Luis Antonio Luis Tagle and former Supreme Court chief justice Hilario Davide Jr. unveil the portrait of Fr. George J. Willmann, S.J. as they formally open the Diocesan process at the Manila Cathedral. (INQUIRER PHOTO)
THE Archdiocese of Manila has started the Diocesan Process of the Cause of Fr. George J. Willmann, SJ, founder of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines, yesterday.
According to “Sanctorum Mater,” or the Instruction for the Conducting Diocesan or Eparchial Inquiries in the Causes of Saints, the diocesan process is the first step before a deceased Catholic who is proven to have lived a life of holiness and heroic virtue can be considered for beatification and eventual canonization.
The process allows the bishop in whose diocese the candidate for sainthood lived and died—in this case Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and the Archdiocese of Manila—to evaluate the documentation collected and presented by his or her postulator, and ensure that the reputation of holiness or martyrdom and of intercessory power exist, according to a post on Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines News.
Former Supreme Court chief justice Hilario G. Davide Jr., who chairs the National Executive Committee on the Cause of Father Willmann, noted in a letter that the “historic and momentous occasion” will mark an important milestone for the cause to raise the naturalized Filipino Jesuit to the Honor of the Altar.
Dubbed the “Fr. McGivney of the Philippines” for his dedication to expanding the Knights of Columbus locally, Willmann worked for the radical transformation of faith into action.
Born on June 29, 1897, in Brooklyn, New York, the American Jesuit was granted Philippine citizenship by President Ferdinand E. Marcos through Presidential Decree No. 740.
In 1938, Willmann served as chaplain of the Knights of Columbus Manila Council 1000, then returned in 1954 to become the order’s first Philippine deputy until his death in 1977.
In all, Willmann spent 44 years in the Philippines serving the poor, sick, orphans, oppressed and desolate, especially the young ones.
The diocesan process of the cause of Fr. Willmann opened with a 9 a.m. Mass presided over by Tagle at the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
